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Too dark for any more pictures as we entered Keppel Harbour from the west and returned to the Harbourfront Ferry Terminal.

Hope you enjoyed this little "Harbour Cruise", which actually took us outside Singapore and into Malaysian water at OPL West.
This is a view of Singapore that only few tourists or casual visitors gets, or even know exists.

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When I have time I must trace this trip on the map. That one at #666.2 is the same as at #667.5, by the way. And is that a tuft of grass right at the bottom??? The empty container-ship is interesting as it is a chance to see the framework in which the containers are stacked, as well as the difference in the waterline!
#666.3 is one of Ombugge's grey silk skies, as I call them. Lovely.

Ivy

"To thine own self be true.......
Thou canst not then be false to any man."

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When I have time I must trace this trip on the map. That one at #666.2 is the same as at #667.5, by the way.

Ooops, you are right. Corrected.

And is that a tuft of grass right at the bottom???

No idea. I took the picture from a OPL Launch, it could be a broom or something.

The empty container-ship is interesting as it is a chance to see the framework in which the containers are stacked, as well as the difference in the waterline!

This is a "hatchless" ship with Container cells.

#666.3 is one of Ombugge's grey silk skies, as I call them. Lovely.

Glad you like that little trip and the sky in that particular one. As said in another thread recently, the Monsoon front is moving over us at the moment, which creates some spectacular skyscapes at times.

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Well now. I'm sorry I don't seem to have commmented in this thread, Ombugge, but I have been following the later pages in fits and starts and always find your pictures very interesting, showing country that I don't know. And as I don't know it, I like to find out about it. Your pics. of Orchard Road, took me back to when I was flying out to Perth in '07, for I had toyed with the idea of having a couple of days stop-over in Singapore. Two things mitigated against it. I'm a bit claustrophobic, and although I have dealt with much of the problem (otherwise 13 hours flight to Singapore and a further 5 on to Perth would never have happened) I still cannot face lifts, the completely closed-in type as they always are in hotels nowadays. So, as Thijs knows, I walk up endless flights of stairs to my hotel room! I scoured central Singapore but they all seemed to be high-rise hotels, and as single rooms are always right at the top, overlooking the central well with the dustbins, etc. etc. I gave up on the idea.
Also, I could not spare a longer time there as, with the camping trip predominant and fixed plus other things I wanted to do, plus problems over house insurance if I was away more than 30 days it all became much too rushed. So I spent the 4 hours between flights in Changi airport. I was quite happy, though, plenty to see and think about.
But scouring street plans of Singapore at the time I saw quite a bit about Orchard Road and it was good to see your pics. of it.
As to more comments on your photos, well, as a very pleasing picture as well as having interest per se I enjoyed #662. As to the squall, I would not have read the signs until #664.4, (lovely reflection on the water there) and by the time of the next photo I would have sunk! The way the ships and rig on the horizon are silhouetted is great in that one.
#665.1, I like the sky and in the one following there is a good rich dark green colour to the water, in contrast to its colour in many previous pics. Lastly, #667.1 is very atmospheric, I like it.
Now, come on, what does VLCC and FPSO stand for? Translation service for landlubbers demanded! Yes, I could Google, but I know that then I'd get side-tracked into reading other things and more unproductive hours would have gone by.

Ivy

"To thine own self be true.......
Thou canst not then be false to any man."

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Hi Ombugge!! I've finally got some of my photos of happy times spent in Singapore into the system. When I was coming over frequently, the Marina Bay area looked like this - I suspect it doesn't any more!

In the early days we stayed at the Ladyhill Hotel - beautifully run down, but home - at the top of Orchard Road / Orange Grove Road, opposite the rather nicer Shangri La. In later years we moved to the Carlton for the work, and Marina Mandarin for holiday trips.

As I mentioned before, I was working on the MRT system - lots of lovely hi-tech electronic systems to move these trains safely from place to place, stopping accurately to align with the platform edge doors. You've had a lot of lovely new railway since then. These photos are from the work archive rather than mine, but sum up what I remember.

I usually worked on the trains themselves, but also on the trackside systems. Saw this view a few times.

And finally - the building had started when I was there, but this is the depot connection at Bishan - I know that the Ang Mo Kio / Bishan area has changed beyond recognition, but have many lovely stories of working at Bishan - and the legends from the people that worked there during the original build.

Still have many dear friends in Singapore - miss the place very much, but since I've gone off aeroplanes it's a very long drive!!

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Nice to see you on this thread, with memories from Singapore in the early 1990s as far as I understand?

You are right, AMK and Bishan area has, like nearly everywhere else in Singapore, changed a lot since then. Although there are exceptions, like shown in my last few posts from Sembawang and Alexandra Park.

Yesterday I took this picture while leaving from Keppel Harbour:
The new development at the old Keppel Shipyard, called "The Reflection", is nearing completion, but the old home for the Managing Director of Keppel Shipyard in colonial days, is still standing prominently at the point there.

No better demonstration of new and old can be found, I think.

It also disprove that; "in Asia everything old is "flattened" and replaced with non-descript modern glass and steel", as suggested somewhere earlier.

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Speaking of the MRT in Singapore, I'm sure the new driverless trains and the stations on the newer lines will be packed with new and wonderful electronics. I don't know anything about that, for obvious reason, but we do (did?) have a member here called "tyristor" who may well tell you all about that.

One new development is the "doors" on the above ground stations on the East/West Line:

This came about because of some accidents and suicides, where people fell or jumped (or were pushed?) onto the tracks. Especially after a Thai school girl lost both her legs after falling in front of a train, this scheme was speeded up and is now completed, I think.

Doesn't sound like much, but I'm sure the electronics added to get this to work is no "small potatoes". 24 doors on the train has to be perfectly aligned with 24 doors on the station when the train stops. All 48 doors has to be properly closed , without trapping late passengers, before the train can move. All to happen automatically, since there are no driver on the train and nobody controlling the doors on the stations.

(All new stations are below ground and already has full size doors and glass walls to keep the Air-conditioning working)

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